The Sounds They Hear
by Zander L. Jones
Summary: After getting back from another tough case, Reid accidentally drops a personal reminder which the team picks up. They're curious so, naturally, they follow him. Little did they know they were about to be surprised with some amazing music. One-Shot, Reid-Centric.
1. Chapter 1 of 3

**The Sounds They Hear**

"Great job Rory, continue with Concerto No. 5 in E Flat. You got the interlude which is considered to be the most challenging portion. I'm just gonna step out a moment, I'm getting a call."

Reid took his cell phone from his pocket, not even having to guess who it was as he answered, "Dr. Spencer Reid. Mhmm. Okay, I'll be right in."

He went back to his study where his Grand was being put to good use by one of his students who looked up as he entered the room.

"Work?" Rory, a middle schooler learning piano asked knowingly.

"You guessed it. Sorry we have to wrap up early again." Reid grabbed a few things to throw in his messenger bag as Rory grabbed his music book.

"I guess it just comes with having an awesome FBI agent as a piano teacher. Thanks again, and I'll see you in a few weeks?"

"You got it. I'll walk you down." He locked his door and lead the way. "Are you going straight home?"

"Yes mom." Rory rolled his eyes playfully turning to the stairs leading to the subway.

"Alright, alright." Spencer held his hands up innocently. "FBI agent remember?"

"See you later Reid!"

Once again the team was on the plane ride home from another miserable case. Four victims had been found six days apart in the Portland, Oregon area. At the time each body was found, music had been playing at the scene. When Spencer and JJ had crashed what was soon to be a fifth homicide scene, their unsub slit the throat of his final victim. More than enough blood had been spilt to line the floors with words of poetry as had been the unsub's signature before Spence had shot him.

"I didn't mind band in high school." Emily started up a conversation with the group right away.

"Well it's a good thing Pretty Boy here could read sheet music _at least_." Morgan chimed in, a goofy grin on his face as he teased the youngest.

"Hey now, I'm sure Reid probably grew up playing the clarinet or maybe a recorder?" Emily shot back, eyebrows raised.

Spencer who had otherwise been sitting quietly looking out the window, chimed in souring the mood that was lightly being lifted. "Actually, band was too expensive so I never got the chance. And then I was in college so I didn't really have much time to learn or play."

Unbeknownst to him, his teammates all shared a look of dismay at just another reminder of what life was like for their boy genius. Spencer went back to looking out the window, while JJ who had also been particularly quiet settled into her seat a bit more for the restless journey home.

After getting back to the office and writing out arduous reports the team gathered to hand them in and say goodbye for the afternoon. Hotch had come down with Rossi to be around the agents' desks. "Alright, good work again. Now go. I'll see you tomorrow." Spencer handed in his report first amongst them and promptly left. Garcia who had just joined them was just about to invite him over for the evening when she saw a paper fall from Reid's bag as he entered the elevator.

"Oh no!" Garcia jumped up and went after him but the doors were already closed when she picked up the note. She read it quick and brought it back with a small smile to the waiting group.

"What's that Baby Girl?" Morgan asked, stepping closer to see.

"This fell out of Reid's bag. He was in such a rush to leave I don't think he noticed."

"What's that smile for?" JJ asked, noticing right away that something was up.

"You'll just have to read it to find out." Garcia handed the slip around to give them a chance to read it.

"April M., 3:30p, My apartment. It's not much to go on." Rossi chimed in.

"Maybe our Junior G Man has got himself a lady friend."

"That he meets at three in the afternoon?"

"Nevertheless! He dropped this…should we…?" Garcia started, unsure about what they should do.

"I mean he does have a perfect memory." Morgan said.

"Doesn't mean other things aren't on his mind." Emily added, referring to the tough case they were just on.

JJ finally put in her two cents, knowing how Spence might just want to clear his head from all things BAU for a while. "He deserves his privacy."

Everyone quietly looked at each other and then subconsciously to Hotch. "Go." He said with a sigh. "Call me if he needs anything." He gave them each a stern glance hoping to keep them in line as much as he could. He really was worried about Reid and knew if anyone would be able to help him through a bad case, it'd be their team.

"I'll drive!" Morgan said right away and they all rushed to gather their things and follow after him. Rossi and Hotch shared the briefest of smiles before they both returned to their offices.

After they all squished into Morgan's SUV they arrived at Reid's apartment, heading up to the fourth floor. As they clambered to the top of the stairs, they heard music getting louder and crisper.

"Music?" JJ asked the group.

"Yeah, sounds like he has some Bach or maybe Debussy playing." Emily took a step closer to the door.

Garcia pulled out her cell phone. "Hey Hotch. Yeah, I think we're good here. Oh. Of course. Bye!" She put her phone back in her bag fully smiling now. "He's downstairs with Rossi and on their way up. He just wanted to make sure ya know." The rest of the team smiled at that. They really were a family.

"Look who's here." Morgan teased as Hotch and Rossi came into view from the stairs.

"And who are the ones standing outside someone's unsuspecting apartment, listening in?" Hotch fired back with a small smile.

Taking the cue, Garcia went up and knocked on Reid's door. The music stopped and all was quiet for a moment. Reid was smiling at something behind him when he opened the door. As soon as he saw his entire team outside in his hallway, his smile faltered slightly.

"What… what are you all doing here?" He asked, honest confusion in his eyes.

Garcia handed him the slip of paper. "You dropped this on your way out. We weren't sure if you would remember…"

Reid just raised an accusing eyebrow and scratched the back of his neck. The team could see he was thinking about whether he should slam the door or invite them in. The latter thought won to all their relief.

"You might as well come in. I don't want to endure all the questioning glances at work tomorrow." He opened the door fully now and ushered them in. As they filed in to the living room they were each surprised to find a teenager sitting at the Grand Piano in the corner of the room. The team each took a comfortable seat as Reid stood in front of them.

"This is April. April this is Emily, Morgan, JJ, Rossi, and Hotch." The sixteen year old with long brown hair braided to one side smiled and waved back, greeting them all with a soft-spoken 'Hi'. "This is my 3:30p." Reid added, crossing his arms.

"Are you learning piano? We heard her playing she's great." Morgan teased, smiling at April who broke out in full laughter.

"Is he... is he learning piano?" She tried catching her breath after the laughter. "No, he's the teacher."

At that, everyone looked back at Reid who had become uncomfortable with everyone's attention. He squared his shoulders and looked at April. "Why don't we show them what we got."

Eyebrows raised in amusement at his confident voice. He took his seat next to April who he was conspiratorially devising a plan with.

"I feel like we're about to be surprised." Emily said to her fellow agents on the couch.

April gave them a small smirk then started. It was a slow melody at first, much like Debussy's 'Clair de Lune'. About a minute in when the tempo began to quicken, Reid joined in. The team watched on mesmerized at the ease their youngest team member was playing radically difficult and beautiful music. There shocked faces noticed the fluidity in his movements as he was moved by the music. April turned the pages out of habit, but the onlookers knew how unnecessary a book was. Not only did Reid have an eidetic memory but his eyes were closed and his fingers moved furious yet gently across the keys.

JJ looked over to see both Morgan's and Emily's mouth hanging slightly open. Garcia was smiling most outright while Hotch and Rossi had their eyes slightly wide as they took in the site before them.

When the chorus started winding down, April joined in again until Reid backed off fully so she could show off her skills solo. He in turn, kept the book on the correct page for her. The music slowed, until a final few notes graced the apartment into silence.

Both April and Reid stood, clasped hands, and bowed. Both smiling at the expressions on their audiences faces. JJ got up and gave Reid a hug.

"Spence, that was amazing." They were all beaming. "You too April, you have a great teacher."

"Yeah, we're pretty lucky." She said, as she grabbed her book off the piano shelf. "Reid, I'll remind Tommy about his lesson next Thursday but no promises." She lifted her backpack on her shoulders. "I won't take any detours." She mumbled under her breath at the look Reid slipped her.

"It was nice meeting you April." Hotch said, standing and shaking her hand. "You play really well."

"It's all thanks to expert over there." She pointed back at Reid who was now talking with Garcia and the rest of the girls. "Did you know he taught himself all that? In like a year too." She said off-handedly as she left with a quick wave. She didn't see the once again stunned looks on all the guy's faces.

"He really does always surprise me." Morgan said, standing now in a circle with Rossi and Hotch.

"It was so open. That was some fine piano playing." Rossi added.

The two groups that had been talking effortlessly merged into one.

"Reid, that was… I don't even know man." Morgan started, still smiling.

"Good thing I can _at least_ read sheet music." Reid said beaming as the rest of the team laughed.

"All right, all right. I get it. I will not be assuming anything about you again. No promises." Morgan clapped him on the back.

Garcia hadn't stopped smiling since the first note played. "Hey genius, care to show us more?"

 **I love stories where characters have fun secrets that come into play. I feel like Spence would easily turn to creating and playing beautiful music to combat the darkness of their jobs. Music is math after all, but you need emotion to really make it true.**


	2. Chapter 2 of 3

**Chapter 2**

 **A huge thanks for the amazing fuzzy reviews and to Ahowell1993 for the idea behind this second part. I hadn't imagined this could go further but you presented me with ideas and I love to write! Here we go!**

A week later found the BAU team on their third "paper day". Don't get them wrong, the team was happy that there weren't any serial killers currently needing their focus but sometimes sitting still for so long was just painful.

On such a morning, Reid was the first one in, not minding the paperwork in the least. He dropped his bag off at his desk, noticing Hotch was the only other one who seemed to be in yet, no surprise there. Reid went directly to the coffee maker, having already drunk his first two cups of coffee at home and on the metro.

While he was pouring several packets of sugar into his cup, he heard footsteps coming up behind him.

"Good morning Reid." Hotch greeted, grabbing the pot and filling up his mug.

"Morning." Reid replied comfortably.

"I had a favor to ask you." Hotch said, turning to face Reid, whose eyebrows had risen slightly.

"Yeah, anything Hotch."

"I was wondering if you would be interested in teaching Jack some piano lessons?"

Reid took a moment thinking several things at once: when could he make time for Jack, had Jack ever played before, what kind of music would he like to play, what if didn't want to learn piano and this was just Hotch's way of including Reid?

"Reid? It's okay if you can't. I understand how much time this job already takes. I mentioned to Jack how well you played after our little surprise last week." Reid blushed at the compliment. "He thought it'd be cool to be like his 'Uncle Spence' and I agreed." Hotch added, easily assuaging Reid's inner fears and insecurities.

Reid smiled. "I would love to!"

Hotch clapped him lightly on the shoulder, smiling back. "Good man. We have a case we'll be leaving on when the rest of the team arrives- just a consult," he added at the interested look Reid gave him, "but after that we can set up a time. I'm not sure what your schedule is like with the other lessons you teach." Hotch trailed off in question.

"I have a group of five kids that I switch off with biweekly or every other week depending on how much of their own time they put in." He smiled fondly, both at thinking of the kids as _his_ kids and at the mildly surprised look Hotch was giving him but didn't comment upon.

"Alright, we'll talk and work something out then. Conference room in ten." Hotch added, switching back to business as usual.

* * *

"Thanks for looking after him tonight Reid. I wasn't planning on making you babysit." Hotch said as he let Reid in to his house.

"Seriously, it's not a problem Hotch." Reid set his bag down on the couch as Jack came whipping around the corner, when he heard a new voice.

"Hi Uncle Spence!"

"Hi buddy!"

"We already ate dinner, but there are leftovers in the fridge to help yourself to, even if you have eaten already." Hotch said as he collected his briefcase and keys. Reid playfully rolled his eyes at the motherly suggestion.

Reid set Jack down after a quick hug so he could give his dad a hug goodbye. "See you later tonight buddy, I'll only be gone a couple hours. Be good for him okay?" After a tight squeeze, Hotch nodded one last time to Reid and left.

"Okay, ready to learn some piano?" Reid asked, bringing his messenger back full of books over to the piano in the corner.

"Yeah! Dad said you're reeaally good. Can you show me?" Jack sat on the bench along with Spencer, the bag of books in-between them.

"Yeah absolutely. First things first though. We need to have music to read before we can play." He started rummaging around in his bag exaggeratedly. "I can't seem to find the book I'm looking for. Maybe you've seen it? "

Jack smiled and started looking around where he was. "Whats it look like?"

"Well, it's green and square and oh my gosh I think you might be sitting on it!"

Jack quickly stood up and looked at where he was. He grabbed the piano book Spencer was talking about.

"How'd you do that? I didn't sit on it when I sat down! There wasn't anything on the bench I promise!" He handed the book back to Spencer who was laughing lightly.

"It's magic!" Reid said, propping the book up on the shelf and unveiling the keys.

"What else can you do?" Reid took a moment to think some things over. Taking a look at the piano, he got up and headed towards the kitchen for some much needed supplies. "Follow me Jack!"

* * *

A few weeks later and Hotch was approaching Reid's desk at the end of another tiring case away.

"Hey Hotch." Reid said, looking up from his final report.

"Hi Reid. I was wondering how the lessons have been going with Jack?" He asked, leaning against the empty desk opposite of Reid. He wanted to watch how Reid would respond to his questions.

Reid only looked uncomfortable for a split second before expertly schooling his features and rearranging them into a genuine smile. "Things are going well. He's a pretty quick learner that's for sure." Reid said, barely meeting Hotch's gaze, who had now crossed his arms.

"I see. The thing is, I haven't heard him practice once and when I ask him about it he just says that he mostly practices when I'm not around." He raised an eyebrow almost daring Reid to respond untruthfully.

"That's plausible." Reid responds, all hints of being uncomfortable gone again. "He's probably just going over some of the literature I got him."

They held each other's gazes for so long it would likely seem comical to any onlooker unaware of the stubbornness before them.

"Well…" Hotch slowly started, "since its going so well, how about a recital?"

"A recital?"

"I'm sure you're familiar with the term?" Hotch teased and was given an eye roll in response. "Perfect. How about one week from now, barring anything work related, we'll have a BBQ at my house and you and Jack can show us what you've been doing the past few weeks." Hotch was almost fully smiling now, glad that the pair could unwind even while at work.

Hotch noticed the mischievous glint in Reid's eyes that was usually present when he was pulling one over on Morgan.

"It's a deal Hotch."

 **One more chapter to go before the end. This might seem a bit out of character but I love Hotch's lighter side thats rarely shown. Review if you please. Live long and prosper..oh wait, wrong fic! Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3 of 3

**Chapter 3**

 **And the grand finale. Once again a million and eight thanks for the reviews. I seriously smile like a fool every time my email dings with a new review and then anyone surrounding me, whether they know me or not, just stares, and it makes me giggle even more. Anywhosers! Thanks and here we go! The final part- but I'm always open to story ideas.**

The guys, minus Reid, were on lounging on the back patio of Hotch's house one sunny afternoon. Hotch held steady at the grill while Morgan and Rossi were both relaxed in a couple of patio chairs, drinks in hand.

The doorbell rang and Morgan hopped up. "That must be the girls." He smiled, walking through the familiar home to see JJ, Prentiss and Garcia walking in, each holding food or a gift.

"Chocolate Thunder would you take this back to Hotch?" She asked handing over a sequined gift bag. "A girl needs both hands to take her heels off."

Morgan raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything as they all shared a smile. "Sure thing, we're all out back. Besides Jack and Reid that is."

"I think it's sweet that those two are spending so much time together. He's great with Henry so I'm not surprised he's great with Jack." JJ said, leading the group to the porch. Hugs were exchanged all around as the girls each found a seat to settle into. Morgan put the present next to Hotch at the grill.

Morgan couldn't hold back a snort at the surprised face Hotch made when he saw the shining sequins. It only took a moment for Hotch to recover and offer a gracious, "Thank you Garcia."

"You're welcome Mr. Boss man in an apron, just a little gift for the host!"

The group started talking, a couple different conversations going on when the back door slid open to a wide-smiling Jack. "Hi everybody!"

He was greeted with hugs and many "Hi Jack!"s and "Hey Buddy!'s by the team.

"Did the smell of the burgers drift inside bud?" Hotch asked, putting the grilling tongs down.

"No! Spence said to come get everyone cuz we're ready!" Without further ado he ran back in, laughing the entire way.

The team all shared a fond look, not quite sure what to expect, as they got up and entered to study which was 'off limits' earlier.

"This should be good." Hotch smiled as they followed the sounds of giggling as he pushed the slightly ajar door open.

Needless to say the team was shocked to see such a transformation in the usually simple room which housed the piano and a few books. Hotch, Morgan and Rossi all had their mouths hanging slightly open in surprise while the girls all squealed or cooed, all laughing. The entire floor was lined with silver tarps, streamers were hanging in straight lines from the ceiling, there were two rows of assorted chairs lined up to face the back of the room where a table was set up with an assortment of odd items with Reid and Jack standing behind it, both donning blue capes and ridiculously big smiles.

Slowly prodded forward by the girls, the team took a seat. Morgan and Rossi had recovered by now but saw that Hotch was still eyeing the room's new décor. "I didn't even see him bring in any boxes." Hotch finally said, giving the rest of the team another reason to smile and laugh.

"He sure outdid himself." Rossi added, seeing how big Jack's smile was.

"This is gonna be so good!" Garcia squealed in delight, getting her camera out and ready.

JJ and Emily both smiled as they watched Jack and Reid talking quietly to each other before the  
"recital" was about to begin.

Morgan leaned over to Hotch asking, "What kind of music do you think Reid's been teachin' him?"

Hotch smiled. "I'm not sure but I think you were right. He always surprises me." The team noticed the fond look Hotch was watching not just one of the boys with. Rossi knew that look and could understand perfectly how Hotch felt to watch their youngest give the team an opportunity to smile and relax in the midst of what they do.

After some small preparation was done, Reid cleared his throat as he walked to the front of the table to address the audience. "Welcome one, welcome all. I, Reid the Regal and Jack the Jovial welcome you to…our magic show!" As the team clapped, Reid repositioned himself behind the table next to Jack who took over in his best entertainer voice.

"Spencer showed me that magic is real and that through the use of physics and chemistry we can make our own magic!" Jack said, picking up a large plastic cup, pouring its contents into a large clear bowl with a little water in it.

Hotch and JJ both smiled, loving how both their kids were constantly learning from their Uncle Spencer.

Reid added a couple of brightly colored powders from different containers, explaining, "Look closely and watch carefully, to see the radical transformation that magic and chemistry can create!" Reid nodded to Jack who picked up a plastic bag from under the covered table. The team all watched on as Reid helped him open the bag but then took a rather large step back as Jack went to mix in the final substance.

Everyone's eyebrows raised at that, knowing their youngest would never put Jack in harm's way but being weary nevertheless, because let's face it, trouble seemed to always follow Reid without him trying. Reid's smile put them at ease, knowing he had deciphered their slightly concerned looks.

In an instant, the bowl was no longer visible, being completely hidden by an ever-growing bright blue foam that seemed to appear from air. The girls all started clapping as the table was soon completely engulfed with the foam which sent the aroma of cherry through the air.

"I see the tarps were less for decoration and more on the side of practicality." Rossi laughed as they all stood now, trying to see the two magicians behind the wall of whatever it was.

"That was sweet Pretty Boy! Jack the Jovial's got some sweet magic!" Morgan said giving the "magic" a wide berth as he walked around back of it to congratulate the two. What he found made him stop and smile. "Uh.."

Hearing the uncertain note in the agent's voice, the rest of the team skirted around the now slightly hardening blue wall that was nearly chest high and an arm's length wide. They came around the table to see that the room was absent of their two favorite boys.

"What in the world!" Penelope laughed. "Where did they go?"

"…They were in front of us the whole time, we were practically a solid barrier between them and the door." Emily started thinking like a profiler on a much more fun case than usual.

Seeing what she was doing Morgan joined in. "Well the obvious place would be under the table wouldn't it?" JJ nodded and without a moment's pause, lifted the table cloth, only to reveal a couple of now empty containers.

They each took a second to look around the room, analyzing it almost subconsciously. After a few moments of being spread out in the room, a chuckle came from Rossi who was standing over next to the window.

"I feel like we should have heard the window open if they crawled through it. And the breeze would have shifted the foam." Emily laughed.

"That doesn't matter." Hotch said, still smiling. "I had that window sealed, it doesn't even open."

"It wasn't the window itself that made me laugh." Rossi said, and was the first…err rather third to leave the room.

Curiously, the rest of the team went and looked out the window, all smiling even wider at what they saw. Spencer and Jack were now on the porch getting a plate of food they had made for the barbeque.

"Oh my Junior G. Man!" Penelope literally ran out the door to give her boys a huge hug. The rest of the team followed at a bit more leisurely pace.

They opened the back door to now find Rossi, Penelope, Jack and Reid all sitting down at one of the tables set up on the lawn. At seeing the rest of the family come out, Jack and Reid got up and went over to greet them.

"That was amazing Jack. You'll have to show me how you did it later." Hotch said, giving his son a bear hug as the rest of the team came around them.

"It's a secret Dad. Spence what's the time?" They had all seen that smile before and knew they were missing something.

Spencer groaned and looked at his watch. A soft, "Eight minutes" was mumbled, causing Jack to jump and laugh. He stuck his hand out expectantly. The team watched on curious as Reid grabbed a five dollar bill from behind Jack's ear which only added to his excitement. "Remember our agreement?" Spencer added with a smirk all his own.

"Yes. Can we eat now?" Jack asked, eyeing his plate of food hungrily.

"Of course! Go eat Bud." And with that Jack ran back to the table where his plate was already filled.

"What was that?" Morgan piped up, as curious as the rest of them.

"Well…you see we were wondering how long it would take for you guys to figure our disappearing act out or rather how long it would take for you to come find us." He smiled sheepishly.

"And Jack won?" JJ prodded, wanting more information.

"Yes. I figured you would spend about fifteen minutes, figuring out that first we weren't there and then being profilers I assumed you would then try to figure out how we got out, not necessarily thinking to instead just come find us. I calculated the best odds that one of you would look out the window to be around the fifteen minute mark."

The team smiled at having been profiled correctly for the most part.

"And Jack?" Hotch asked.

Smiling, Reid answered. "He said you'd do it in under ten." The team all shared a good laugh and decided that they were in fact hungry and ready to eat also. Reid and Hotch were the last ones on the porch still getting their plates of food.

"That was quite the show Reid." Hotch started. "Wasn't quite what I was expecting from a 'recital'."

Misunderstanding and already feeling slightly out of his comfort zone, Reid started babbling. "I hope you're not mad..I know you wanted him to have piano lessons and I didn't want to waste anybody's time but then he found magic so much more interesting and-"

"Hey, Reid. Calm down. It's completely fine." He put a relaxed hand on the genius' shoulder. "That was a terrific surprise and honestly I don't have a clue how you managed it."

Feeling slightly better about the whole thing, Reid immediately perked right up. "Well actually it was a simple combination of Polyurethane and Diphenylmethane but at a larger scale than a normal quantitative experiment would typically be held at. Also, Jack and I agreed before starting that we would have the study completely back to normal right after dinner."

Hotch just smiled as he listened to Reid. "Don't worry about it Spencer, let's just all enjoy our meal together after such a great show."

Reid let himself feel content and comforted as the pair walked down the steps and to the tables that were currently occupied with their laughing and smiling family.

The End.

 **Thank you so much for the support and reviews. Love it! I think I'm going to go ahead and end here. Although there is always the option for more with Jack and Reid's little agreement.** **J** **Until next time.**


End file.
